Yes they called it "MomSpit". "Inspired by the original". We have all been through this in our childhood, and I still cringe when recalling the combined feel of my mom's spit and the picnic napkin it was applied with.
Yet, brilliant branding insight. I'm a tad grossed out, but I'm impressed.
If you're looking for something crunchy to sink your reading teeth in, here's Chasing Cool, a witty pop-and-consumer culture branding book that examines corporate America's quest to make its products and services seem 'cool'.
Written by Gene Pressman (former CEO, Creative Director and Head of Merchandising for Barney's New York) and Noah Kerner (former DJ for Jennifer Lopez and current CEO of noise marketing agency), the book "...digs beneath the surface and reveals how emphasizing long-lasting relevance trumps a fleeting preoccupation with what's hot and what's not".
Chasing Cool features an impressive list of over 70 contributors from entertainment, beauty/fashion, sport, media and design industries, with names such as Les Garland & Bob Pittman(founders of MTV), Marc Jacobs, Tiki Barber,Vera Wang, Tony Hawk, Christina Aguilera, Tommy Hilfiger, Scott Bedbury(Nike and Starbucks), Antonio Bertone (Puma), and many more.
From www.chasingcoolbook.com:"Cool isn't just a state of mind, a celebrity fad, or an American obsession -- it's a business. In boardrooms across America, product managers are examining vodka bottles and candy bars, tissue boxes and hamburgers, wondering how do we make this thing cool? How do we make this gadget into the iPod of our industry? How do we do what Nike did? How do we get what Target got? How do we infuse that product with that very desirable, nearly unattainable It factor?"
Chasing Cool is out today May 1st, published by Simon&Schuster.
From Biz-Community: "Five months after being awarded the prestigious BMW advertising account, fledgling creative hotshop Ireland/Davenport launched its first TV commercial for the brand on 15 May 2006. Shot in the Netherlands using the moving sculptures of world-renowned artist Theo Jansen, the commercial, entitled "Kinetic Sculptures", forms part of a broader campaign which serves to highlight BMW's market leadership in the fields of technology and innovation."
Telus wireless opened its first virtual boutique inside the popular "Second Life" world, last week. Second Life inhabitants can now visit the shop (which looks and feels like an actual Telus shop, retaining all the brand's personality) and get virtual cellphones with special features for their characters.
I've visited the shop in SL and it's quite a nice piece of architecture, featuring a wide, colourful area inside, some cellphones on display, and a veranda on the side with a virtual espresso machine (!). While I'm not sure virtual espressos taste like the real thing, they sure do the Telus brand some good.
I'm a freelancer and free thinker in the field of marketing and communications, trying to continually expand the known universe in my little mind -- and yours.
